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Saturday, November 5, 2011

There are days, when for whatever the reason, one just wants to fall back on the tried and the true. Today was one of those days. Sometimes I like to peruse my cookbooks and recipes looking for just the right one for the occasion. On those days I get a lot of enjoyment from doing that. Today was not one of those days. A week or so ago I made a commitment to fix something for an open house tonight. Due to some personal circumstances, I wanted to spend as little time as possible doing this task today. So I went to one of my boxes filled with some of my favorite recipes and pulled out the one for Cracker Toffee. It takes about 15 minutes from start to finish to make it and bake it. Only five ingredients are needed: soda crackers, brown sugar, butter, chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.

I am thankful for those times when I am able to quickly do a task, because I have learned something through experiences of the past. I'm also thankful for all those who have shared their own knowledge and experiences with me. (If I could only remember who it was that first gave me the Cracker Toffee recipe. . .thank you, thank you, thank you!)

It is good to have a stash of the tried and true. Sometimes the stash might be actual tangible items, but perhaps even of more value are those truths that have imbedded into our very being. Through the course of a lifetime, feelings, thoughts and things we've been taught or have studied ebb and flow with our experiences until pure truth is revealed and is firmly planted in our hearts and minds. How this all comes about is a very personal journey and something to seek after and treasure.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Late this afternoon I asked my husband if he'd like to go over to the nearby wildlife refuge for a little bit. Since we both enjoy doing this, I was pretty sure he would want to go. Many birds are starting to show up during this time of migration, so we were expecting, at the very least, to see a lot of geese. However, soon after we got out of the car we heard the sounds of a couple of great horned owls. As we proceeded down the boardwalk, we met some other birders. After a time of all of us being still, watching and listening, one of the birders spotted a great horned owl sitting on a branch high in one of the trees off in the distance. (The second great horned owl had flown off soon after we arrived.) It was kind of hard to get very good photos of the owl due to the many branches which were in the way.

As we were walking on the boardwalk, we saw a caterpillar walking on the railing. I hadn't seen one quite like it, and thought perhaps if I took a photo of it I would be able to identify it when we returned home. The identification is going to take me a little longer to do I think. A few weeks back I took a photo of a caterpillar when we were at a different wildlife refuge. It is one that is commonly seen, and probably the first kind of caterpillar I remember seeing when I was a child.

This is the Woolly Bear Caterpillar (isia isabella or pyrrharctia isabella) which will turn into the Isabella Moth.

For now I'll leave this one unnamed.

Thought for today: Everyone needs to make time to be still, to listen, and to look. Quiet introspection is an important part of living.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Yesterday as my husband and I did yard work around our home, we heard many flocks of geese flying overhead. It was a beautiful fall day with sunshine and a clear blue sky. As I reflected on how much our dog seems to enjoy being outside on such days, noted by his smiles, I found myself wondering if geese and other birds enjoy flying on some days more than others. Granted I realize that there are birds migrating at this time of year, but I like to think that even birds can experience joy.

Quotation: "The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world's joy." (Henry Ward Beecher)

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Following the lead of my children and some of my friends, I've decided to join the ranks of bloggers. This week I attended a Relief Society meeting where someone talked about the basics of blogging. That got me to thinking that maybe this was something I too could do.

The name of my blog is from a line in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" I have always loved reading Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 because it seems to say so much about the seasons and times of our lives here on earth.

Having experienced a great many seasons of my life already, and hoping to yet experience many more, perhaps from time to time I can add a few reflections of what I have learned or am in the process of learning from those experiences.

A reflection: If only we could have envisioned how big some of our plants would eventually be when we planted them those many years ago. . .when there was so much bare ground crying out for something to be planted there.

A lesson we are still learning: If at all possible, don't put off pruning!